June 17, 1988 ALBERTA HANSARD 1823 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ALBERTA Lapointe school in Beaumont and are accompanied by their teacher Susan Mackey. I would ask that they rise and receive the warm welcome of the Assembly. Title: Friday, June 17, 1988 10:00 a.m. Date: 1988/06/17 MR. R. SPEAKER: Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce some very special guests in your gallery today. These people [The House met at 10 a.m.] have had the opportunity of sharing many experiences of my last 25 years, and I'd like them to stand and be recognized. First of [Mr. Speaker in the Chair] all, my mother, Mrs. Olga Speaker -- if she would stand -- my wife, Ingrid, and two children, Kari and Mark; my sister Doreen and her husband, Torgny; Ingrid's sister and her husband, Jim PRAYERS and Ann Skretting. I believe Ila Turley is there as well. Ila was a very good friend of the former Speaker of this Legislature. Her husband, Bill, worked with both Mr. Dawson and myself in MR. SPEAKER: Let us pray. terms of politics for many years, and she has many good memo• O Lord, grant us a daily awareness of the precious gift of life ries of the time in this Legislature with the hon. Peter Dawson. which You have given us. So she's a very special friend and guest here today. The other As Members of this Legislative Assembly we dedicate our guest is Mr. Dave Clark, who has worked very closely with me lives anew to the service of our province and our country. in the constituency and is a good friend and ally in the world of Amen. politics. So it's just a pleasure to have them with me all to• gether today, and I ask you all to recognize them. head: NOTICES OF MOTIONS head: ORAL QUESTION PERIOD MR. RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I rise to give oral notice of my intention to move, following the completion of routine Orders Funding for Private Schools and before the calling of Orders of the Day and pursuant to Standing Order 40, the following motion: MR. MARTIN: Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of Education. Be it resolved that the Legislative Assembly, on behalf of all Those who strongly believe in public education in our province citizens of Alberta, express to the hon. Member for Little are concerned about the minister's plan to create what we might Bow, Raymond Albert Speaker, their sincere appreciation of classify as a modified voucher system . The minister is propos• his dedicated service to the people of Alberta on this special ing that two families with seven children can form a private day of Friday, June 17, 1988, marking his 25th year as a school, and with only minimum qualifications these private Member of the Legislative Assembly. schools can then begin to bleed funds away from the public sys• tems. In view of the fact that several school boards have raised head: TABLING RETURNS AND REPORTS serious objections to this proposal -- I might point out to the minister that I met with members of the Calgary school board MR. FJORDBOTTEN: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to table the yesterday, who are extremely concerned about this -- will the Report of Proceedings of the Seventy-Eighth Annual General minister explain to us and to the people of Alberta why she is Meeting of the Alberta Land Surveyors' Association as required intent upon turning over tax dollars intended for public educa• by statute. tion to what I consider very narrow interests? MR. ISLEY: Mr. Speaker, I'm filing today the appropriate MRS. BETKOWSKI: Mr. Speaker, I think it's important to number of copies of the annual report of the Association of Pro• point out in the first instance that private education has been fessional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists. funded from public dollars in this province since the mid-1960s. I'm also pleased to table the annual report of the Department There has never been a minimum as to what constitutes a private of Public Works, Supply and Services. school in this province, and we thought it was important, par• ticularly given the judgment out of the Supreme Court of head: INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS Canada, that we set some kind of minimum. That was never there before. So in terms of Bill 27, yes, we have recognized MR. ELZINGA: Mr. Speaker, it's my pleasure, sir, to introduce that parents have an option for private schooling, an option to you and through you to Members of the Legislative As• which is in a tradition that this province has been based and one sembly, a group of 80 individuals comprised of grade 6 students that is consistent with the Supreme Court ruling, including the from the Wes Hosford school. Joining them are teachers Peter allocation of public funds, in part, to those private schools. Learn, Helen Romao, Sherry Lukinak; parents Sylvia Wedder- bum, Elaine Macartney, Susan-Jane Sudyk, Cheryl Williamson, MR. MARTIN: Well, Mr. Speaker, two families with seven Minna Helwig, Debbie Elliott, Wendy Pawliuk. I look forward children: that could seriously erode the base, and that's the to joining with them later. They are in the members' and public point they're making. That has nothing to do with the Constitu• galleries, and I would ask if they would rise and receive the tion. Now, the minister has her ally Mr. Ted Byfield who thinks warm, traditional welcome of this Legislative Assembly. this is a great thing because it's the end of public education and the start of private education. Knowing they have allies like MR. SPARROW: Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to introduce to you this, I ask the minister to tell us what consideration she has at and to Members of the Legislative Assembly, a group of 25 stu• least given to withdrawing this proposal. dents from my constituency. These students are from the J. E. 1824 ALBERTA HANSARD June 17, 1988 MRS. BETKOWSKI: Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm afraid that the think more dollars would go to it," I would be shocked. But the Leader of the Opposition is being remarkably inconsistent in his fact that there is an option in our system, the fact that we fund questions and his observations. If he is suggesting that there be private schools in this province to about one-third of the level if no public funds allocated to private education in this province, they are a category 1 or 2 private school, the fact that we do that is one thing. If he is suggesting that instead of two families those things is, in our view, a balance. When the member says and a minimum of seven children, which also kicks in some that expressing in the legislation that there be at least two fami• controls on Building Code standards -- if he's suggesting that lies and seven students is going over the balance, he may well that is not enough, then perhaps he would like to put an amend• wish to propose an amendment to that section. But what I don't ment on the floor of the Assembly when committee study of Bill like is the fact that under existing legislation there is no criteria, 27 occurs. there is no limitation on families. It can be one person creating But as far as suggesting that we should not be supportive of a private school. I don't think that is in fact correct, and that's private education in this province or that we should not be fund• why we as a government have proposed a limitation in the ing it publicly, I'm afraid we cannot turn back the clock, and to section. do so would be inconsistent with the Supreme Court judgment. This is not taking dollars away from the public system in an MR. SPEAKER: Member for Calgary-Buffalo. inordinate way. We have, as I indicated during second reading of the Bill, a declining number of students in private education MR. CHUMIR: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Supreme Court -- I think an opportunity with our new School Act to ensure that of Canada doesn't say in any way that we have to provide any the public system continues to be responsive to the needs of its degree of funding to these schools, and many provinces don't. community, thus not building in an incentive to move away What I want to know from the minister is: why shouldn't par• from the public system. But in terms of a balance, yes, we are ents interested in sending their children to their own private recognizing it, and yes, we feel it's an important part of delivery schools pay for these schools instead of getting $1,500 of public of education within this province. money from the government and now a new exemption from municipal taxation in this School Act? MR. MARTIN: Mr. Speaker, talk about turning back the clock. We thought public education was a reality in the 19th century. I MRS. BETKOWSKI: Well, Mr. Speaker, the Member for point out to this minister that it's not the Leader of the Opposi• Calgary-Buffalo and I: here we go again. The Supreme Court, tion; it's boards from all over the province that are extremely in fact, does say that within the striking of the balance. Alberta concerned about this. At least, then, could the minister indicate has recognized that there is a need for private education. It may to us: does she have any studies? If so, could she tell us in the not specifically say that the dollars that go there should be there, Assembly what effect such a modified voucher system will have but what it does say is that Alberta has struck the balance.